


Not Exactly, No

by selfinduced



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-06
Updated: 2014-05-06
Packaged: 2018-01-23 19:23:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1576724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/selfinduced/pseuds/selfinduced
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin comment-fic for lantean_drift's kiss-a-thon. modern-college!AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Not Exactly, No

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lantean_Drift](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lantean_Drift/gifts).



It's negative a billion degrees outside and Merlin wishes he hadn't cut his hair again during holidays break in an effort to please his mother. ("It's just that it would be nice to see your eyes when I speak to you, dear" she'd said, to which it was impossible to reply that no matter how he cut his hair, it stuck out and up didn't even pretend to hide his ears, let alone his face, and generally looked ridiculous--"But sexy!" Will had assured him, and Gwen and Lancelot had snickered something about sex-hair. At any rate, his mother wouldn't understand, and Merlin had never really learned how to say no to her.)

Their first day back at uni, and already, he's getting into trouble. He's avoiding Gaius, his Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology advisor, who will be decidedly unhappy about how Merlin switched out of Anatomy and Physiology to take a class on Witchcraft with Nimueh. In the process of being sneaky, he actually manages to forget to check if the class has homework due the first day until an hour before class and apparently he was supposed to have submitted a response on a Paganism and Christianity reading that Merlin knows nothing about and also, he's really, really cold.

"Hold it!" he runs for the lift, slips spectacularly on melting puddles of ice on the floor in front of it, and lands on top of the hot blond who had obligingly stuck his foot out against the door. It's not the best moment of his life, but Merlin's kind of used to these things.

The blond under him is apparently not. He makes some sort of squawking noise that Merlin interprets as profanity while trying frantically to extricate himself. The warm breath on his almost-numb ears makes Merlin shiver and he turns his head mid-awkward fumble the same moment the boy turns to him and there's a mortifying brush of mouth-to-mouth contact before he can scramble away.

Merlin apologizes profusely and backs up as far as possible--the other corner of the lift--and stops himself from wishing it was possible to go farther so he doesn't accidentally make the lift bigger or lose a wall or make himself invisible--something terribly inconvenient and magical.

The other boy stares bemusedly up at him and gets back on his feet.

"What floor?" Merlin lifts his chin and asks, pressing 4 for himself.

"Usually, I have to buy dinner first. Maybe a movie, flowers, you know, that sort of thing."

"I'm really, really sorry, okay?" Merlin is beginning to get indignant, ears now burning and entirely confused about the temperature.

The lift doors ding and he moves to get out. If his calculations are correct, he has thirty-eight minutes in which to skim the reading and write his response.

"What, not even a name?" the boy calls after him.

"Merlin," he smirks without turning back or slowing down, "And I prefer the planetarium!"


	2. Real Friends Help You Cockblock Unnecessarily

"She shot him?"

"In the face!" Will makes hand gestures mimicking the cocking of a gun, and Lancelot bursts out into surprised laughter. Merlin shakes his head at them both.

Lancelot is generally a stable, dependable, normal sort of bloke. But no one could keep straight under Will's infectious enthusiasm. Merlin has no idea what they're talking about, but has low to nonexistent levels of curiosity; he's known Will since they were a few months old and Will's da had moved into the house next door.

"Here you are then, Merlin," Lance pulls up outside the NH museum and lets Merlin hop out before heading off to start the midmorning shift with Will at Doughboy's.

It's ten bloody a.m. on Saturday and that means Merlin was awake at nine in order to be here and—

"Merlin! Oh good. I thought you'd be later." Gwen drags him inside and pulls him into an alcove. "Not that, you know, you're late. Usually. Or anything—I just thought you know—and anyway, I know it's Saturday," Merlin squints at her accusing and sleepy, she flails a little, realizes she's holding a coffee cup, and thrusts it at him, babbling away while Merlin tries to drown himself in the steam.

-

It had started with something like this: 

"Merlin, come on, you love the planetarium!" 

"What I love is having a lie-in on my only day off."

"But we have the Suns of Pharaohs show today, and it's voiced by John Rhys-Davies! I know you still have all your Lord of the Rings action figures!"

"Guinevere, I love you dearly, but remember that I also know where you sleep." Merlin rubbed his eyes and fumbled his way out of bed, "Now, who is she and what do you want me to do?" yawned, "And don't even try telling me this isn't about a girl."

"Ok, ok, so, Morgana—Professor Le Fay. Um." 

Merlin swore and almost dropped the phone, "Oh Gwen." His voice softened with understanding, "Yeah, I'll be there. I have to ride in the back with Lance and Will, so you owe me. But I'll be there."

-

So now Merlin is standing strategically in an alcove near the Professor's office wing, watching an unnecessarily attractive woman come out of one particular door, with his best friend who is whispering urgently.

"Oh god, it's her." 

"Hot damn, way to go Gwen!" Merlin stares for a minute despite himself. 

"Hide me!"

"What? Where? Should I—" Merlin makes frantic but vague handmotions, not quite sure of what he should be doing.

"No! No! Act normal. Not that you're not—you know, but, you should, oh god, Merlin, she's seen me!"

"I thought that's why we were here!"

"But! I'm not ready for her to see me! What if she asks me why I'm here?"

Merlin's brain flails onto an unexpected bout of genius, "Um, we're on a date?"

"Oh that's perfect, Merlin you're brilliant!" Gwen's eyes widen with realization, "Wait. No, not brilliant! I don't want her to think that I'm on a date with you! I mean, not you you, but you know, I don't want her to think I'm on a date! With someone else! A man!"

"Guinevere." Professor Le Fay smiles and her eyes are definitely noticeably warm as they go over Gwen, Merlin notes, amused, before flicking to him and looking suddenly much more intimidating. Right. He knows Gwen won't believe him, but this is really not going to be that hard.

"Mother! I would like to go to the gift shop before the show please."

Merlin and Gwen turn to stare as a little boy runs out of the same door and the professor turns to greet him. 

"I know, darling, I'm sorry, I was just heading outside to call home. I have to leave earlier than I thought and it'd work better if—" She turns back to Gwen and Merlin takes the moment to make sure his mouth is no longer open. "I'm sorry, Guinevere, I don't mean to impose but I'm really in a bit of a situation here—I brought Mordred to work today because he wanted to watch the Planetarium show, but I've got to leave a bit early, is there any way you could—? My brother will be here to pick him up after the show, so it'll only be an hour and a half—I can tell him to come earlier—"

"Of course!"

"Oh thank you,"

"No, I mean, I can't." Gwen backtracks, "I would love to, but I have to go to lab by 11, but!" she turns to Merlin, who attempts to straighten up and look reassuring about whatever it is Gwen is about to propose, "Merlin can watch him! He's got the whole day free!"

Merlin slumps.

-

The kid is pretty easy to handle, all proper and polite, though a bit disconcertingly silent. Merlin's more concerned with interrogating Gwen as soon as they're out of earshot. 

("She has a son?"

"She has a son!"

"You didn't know!"

"I mean, we know she's not married or with a partner or anything or they would be here, wouldn't they? And anyway, she's never talked as if she has—"

"Well apparently she never talked as if she had a kid either!")

And of course this is when Gwen has to abandon him for lab and leaves him with orders to find out everything and Merlin nods solemnly, nudges her foot with his until she lightens up and smiles and promises dinner later to make up for this.

It's not too bad, really. Merlin does love the planetarium, and does recognize the narrator's voice as John Rhys-Davies, to his chagrin.

Mordred knows quite a bit of background information for someone so young and Merlin gets engrossed explaining the parts he doesn't know and is startled with the boy yells out "Uncle Arthur!" and smiles for the first time since Merlin's met him, which is why Merlin is completely unprepared for the person he turns around to see.

"Monkey!" the man comes forward and catches Mordred up in a hug while Merlin stares bemusedly, cheeks warming at the month-old memory of an elevator on the first day of classes, and waits for 'Arthur' to recognize him.

"Thank you for watching Mordred, I had a hard time getting out of work as quickly as I did, there's no way I would've made it two hours ago." he flashes a quick, polite-but-sincere smile at him, all wind-tousled hair and unnecessarily bright eyes, and Merlin notices for the first time that Arthur is wearing a long expensive jacket over a suit. What kind of work? And on a Saturday?

"Oh it was no trouble," Merlin smiles inanely back and takes the offered hand, but Arthur seems to shift gears as soon as their eyes meet, and Merlin might be imagining it, but there's a soft stroke of thumb over his wrist as their hands separate. Probably a sleep-deprivation-induced hallucination, but still.

"Arthur Pendragon, pleasure," Arthur's voice is a warm drawl. Merlin can't decide if it's insulting or sexy, "to finally meet." 

Okay, no, scratch that, definitely, definitely irritating.


End file.
